Golden Chain v1.2: Quark-Gluon Ultra-Granular Provenance

Date: 2026-02-13 Version: 1.2.0 Status: Implemented & Tested

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Summary

Golden Chain v1.2 adds a Quark-Gluon Ultra-Granular Provenance layer on top of v1.1's 8-record SHA256 hash chain. Every pipeline node now emits 3-6 quark sub-step records, totaling 32 quarks per query. Gluon entanglement creates a DAG overlay on the linear quark chain, making the topology tamper-evident. Combined: 8 provenance + 32 quarks = 40 immutable records per query.

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Key Metrics

Metric	Value	Status
Quark records per query	32 (4+4+3+6+4+3+4+4)	Active
QuarkType variants	16 (14 work + 2 verification)	Active
Gluon entanglement refs	0-2 per quark (DAG)	Active
Quark hash chain	SHA256, independent from v1.1	Active
MAX_QUARK_RECORDS	48	Configured
MAX_ENTANGLE_REFS	2	Configured
QUARK_CONTENT_DIGEST_LEN	48 bytes	Configured
New ChatMsgTypes	2 (QuarkStep, GluonEntangle)	Active
New tests added	8	All passing
Total golden chain tests	23 (15 old + 8 new)	All passing
Chat lines per query	~47 (was ~18)	Expected
Memory per agent	~10KB (quarks 7.2KB + provenance 2.5KB)	Negligible

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What This Means

For Users

• Every AI response now shows an ultra-granular provenance trail with 32 quark sub-steps
• Each quark displays: Q[hash_prefix] NODE.QUARK_TYPE | conf% | ent:N
• Gluon entanglement messages show DAG cross-references between quarks
• Both provenance chain (8/8) and quark chain (32/32) integrity verified at DELIVER

For Operators

• 40 immutable records per query = unparalleled audit granularity
• DAG topology included in SHA256 hashes = tamper-evident entanglement
• Linear chain + DAG cross-links = dual integrity verification
• Backward-compatible: v1.1 provenance chain remains intact

For Developers

• QuarkType enum (u5, 16 variants) with getLabel(), isVerificationQuark(), isWorkQuark()
• QuarkRecord struct with computeQuarkHash() and formatQuarkLine()
• recordQuark() method with optional entanglement references
• verifyQuarkChain() with Phase A (linear) + Phase B (DAG) validation
• 8 emitXxxQuarks() methods, one per pipeline node

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Technical Details

Architecture

Query Input
    |
    v
[GOAL_PARSE] --> Provenance #0 + Quarks Q0-Q3
    |             (input_capture, goal_classify, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[DECOMPOSE]  --> Provenance #1 + Quarks Q4-Q7
    |             (task_decompose, dependency_check, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[SCHEDULE]   --> Provenance #2 + Quarks Q8-Q10
    |             (schedule_plan, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[EXECUTE]    --> Provenance #3 + Quarks Q11-Q16
    |             (route_decision, api_call, tvc_cross_check, vsa_bind, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[MONITOR]    --> Provenance #4 + Quarks Q17-Q20
    |             (quality_gate, tvc_cross_check, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[ADAPT]      --> Provenance #5 + Quarks Q21-Q23
    |             (adapt_decision, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[SYNTHESIZE] --> Provenance #6 + Quarks Q24-Q27
    |             (merge_result, format_output, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    v
[DELIVER]    --> Provenance #7 + Quarks Q28-Q31
    |             (chain_integrity, format_output, hash_verify, gluon_verify)
    |             + verifyProvenanceChain() -> TRUTH verdict
    |             + verifyQuarkChain() -> QUARK TRUTH verdict
    v
Response Output

QuarkType (16 variants)

#	Type	Category	Description
0	input_capture	Work	Capture raw user input
1	goal_classify	Work	Classify intent type
2	task_decompose	Work	Break into subtasks
3	dependency_check	Work	Check subtask dependencies
4	schedule_plan	Work	Plan execution order
5	route_decision	Work	Choose execution backend
6	api_call	Work	Invoke LLM/tool
7	tvc_cross_check	Work	TVC corpus verification
8	vsa_bind	Work	VSA bind operation
9	quality_gate	Work	Quality threshold check
10	adapt_decision	Work	Adaptation decision
11	merge_result	Work	Merge subtask outputs
12	format_output	Work	Format final response
13	chain_integrity	Work	Full chain integrity check
14	hash_verify	Verification	SHA256 hash verification
15	gluon_verify	Verification	Gluon entanglement verification

Quark Hash Construction

SHA256(
    prev_quark_hash[32]
    ++ quark_type_label
    ++ node_label
    ++ content_digest[0..digest_len]
    ++ confidence_bytes[4]
    ++ timestamp_bytes[8]
    ++ entangled_indices[0..entangle_count]
)

Entanglement indices are included in the hash, making the DAG topology tamper-evident.

Gluon Entanglement Pattern

• Genesis (Q0): entangle_count=0 (no predecessors)
• First quark of each node: entangles with last quark of previous node
• hash_verify: entangles with work quarks of same node + hash_verify of previous node
• gluon_verify: entangles with own hash_verify + hash_verify of related node
• Skip-links: SCHEDULE->GOAL_PARSE, SYNTHESIZE->EXECUTE, DELIVER->EXECUTE

Verification (verifyQuarkChain)

Phase A — Linear Chain:

1. Genesis record has all-zero prev_quark_hash
2. For each quark: recompute hash and verify it matches stored hash
3. For each quark[i>0]: verify prev_quark_hash == quarks[i-1].current_quark_hash

Phase B — DAG Integrity:

1. entangle_count in [0, MAX_ENTANGLE_REFS]
2. All entangled_indices point backward (< current index)
3. Genesis quark has entangle_count == 0
4. gluon_verify quarks (except genesis) must have entangle_count > 0

Chat Visualization

[YOU] Build a web server in Zig

[* GOAL_PARSE] Goal: CodeGen detected
[# HASH] [a3f2b1c9] GOAL_PARSE | VERIFIED | 95% | tvc:0.00
[~ QUARK] Q[e2f1a3b4] GOAL_PARSE.INPUT_CAP | 95% | ent:0
[~ QUARK] Q[7c8d9e0f] GOAL_PARSE.GOAL_CLASS | 95% | ent:1
[~ QUARK] Q[1a2b3c4d] GOAL_PARSE.HASH_VER | 95% | ent:2
[~ GLUON] GLUON: Q3<->Q2

[* EXECUTE] pub fn main() !void { ... }
[# HASH] [d9a2c4f1] EXECUTE | VERIFIED | 92% | tvc:0.78
[~ QUARK] Q[5e6f7a8b] EXECUTE.ROUTE_DEC | 92% | ent:2
[~ QUARK] Q[9c0d1e2f] EXECUTE.API_CALL | 92% | ent:1
[~ QUARK] Q[3a4b5c6d] EXECUTE.TVC_XCHK | 92% | ent:2
[~ QUARK] Q[7e8f9a0b] EXECUTE.VSA_BIND | 92% | ent:1
[~ QUARK] Q[1c2d3e4f] EXECUTE.HASH_VER | 92% | ent:2
[~ GLUON] GLUON: Q16<->Q15,Q9

[* DELIVER] Chain complete | Total: 92% | 1350us
[# HASH] [f4e2a7b9] DELIVER | VERIFIED | 92% | tvc:0.00
[~ QUARK] Q[5a6b7c8d] DELIVER.CHAIN_INT | 92% | ent:2
[~ QUARK] Q[9e0f1a2b] DELIVER.FMT_OUT | 92% | ent:1
[~ QUARK] Q[3c4d5e6f] DELIVER.HASH_VER | 92% | ent:2
[~ GLUON] GLUON: Q31<->Q30,Q15
[V TRUTH] Chain integrity: VERIFIED (8/8 hashes valid)
[V TRUTH] Quark chain: VERIFIED (32/32 quarks, DAG intact)

Files Modified

File	Changes
specs/tri/hdc_golden_chain_quark_gluon_v1_2.vibee	Created -- specification (source of truth)
src/vibeec/golden_chain.zig	+QuarkType(16), +QuarkRecord, +recordQuark(), +verifyQuarkChain(), +8 emitXxxQuarks(), +8 tests
src/vsa/photon_trinity_canvas.zig	+2 ChatMsgType (quark_step, gluon_entangle), +colors, +labels
src/wasm_stubs/golden_chain_stub.zig	+QuarkType stub, +QuarkRecord stub, +constants, +agent fields

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Technology Tree

v1.0 Golden Chain (8-node pipeline)
  |
  v
v1.1 Truth & Provenance (SHA256, 8 records)  -- DONE
  |
  v
v1.2 Quark-Gluon (32 quarks, DAG entanglement)  <-- YOU ARE HERE
  |
  v
v2.0 Phi-Engine Integration (quantum-inspired truth computation)
  |
  v
v3.0 Immortal Self-Verifying Agent

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Conclusion

Golden Chain v1.2 establishes ultra-granular provenance for every AI pipeline sub-step. The 32-quark chain with gluon entanglement creates a DAG overlay on the linear hash chain, providing 40 immutable records per query. Entanglement indices are included in SHA256 hashes, making the DAG topology tamper-evident. All 23 golden chain tests pass, compilation succeeds for both native and WASM targets. v1.1 provenance chain remains fully intact (backward compatible).